Intro to Music History
6 Periods of Music History (Ancient) – Doesn’t really count Medieval Renaissance Baroque Classical Romantic Modern
Ancient Period This term refers to the music of the Ancient civilizations (Greece, Rome, Babylon, Mesopotamia, et cetera. Very little is known about the music of these civilizations, but it is certain that music played a part in their lives. How can historians know anything about music from these cultures?
Medieval Period 800 – 1300 C.E. Music was very simple. Gregorian Chant Monophony vs. Polyphony Beginnings of Notation – all handwritten
Medieval Notation
Renaissance Renaissance Period – 1300-1600 C.E. All music can be broken down into two main divisions Sacred and Secular Sacred – having to do with religion Secular – having nothing to do with religion
Renaissance Each division had different types of music. How did musicians make a living? Famous Composers: William Byrd, Giovanni di Palestrina, Claudio Monteverdi, Josquin Desprez.
Baroque Baroque Period -1600-1700 C.E. Music Theory had advanced a lot since ancient times Major Composers – J.S. Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, and G.F. Haendel
Bach’s own Handwriting
Baroque Notation Printing While the notation style is still not the same as today’s, the printing press made music much more readable than ever before.
Classical Classical Period – 1700-1800 C.E. Music Theory and instruments were mostly formed by now to our modern standards. Major Composers – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Joseph Haydn
Romantic Romantic Period – 1800-1900 C.E. Musicians making a living on their own now. Major Composers – Ludwig von Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Peter Tchaikovsky, Johannes Brahms
Modern Modern Period – 1900 C.E.– Present Classical music led to the development of popular music. Jazz, Blues, Rock, Hip-Hop In the 1900’s popular music became the dominant style of music.
Modern Classical Music Classical music still exists in today’s music world It is not as popular with younger generations as pop music is. Modern classical is very different than the music it came from. Three different ways that classical music still exists. Pop classical, Retrospective classical, and new classical.
Modern Classical Classical Music in the 20th century has many different styles. Neo-classicism, atonality, serial music, electronic music, et cetera. Important Composers: Copland, Stravinsky, Schönberg.
References Pictures Chant Manuscript - www.adoremus.org William Byrd – www.rhapsody.com Giovanni Plestrina – www.naxos.com Claudio Monteverdi – www.8notes.com Josquin Desprez – www.answers.com J.S. Bach - weekly.ahram.org.eg/2000/511/cu1.htm G.F. Händel – www.wikipedia.com Bach Manuscript – www.jsbach.net Sacred Music Magazine – Spring 2006
References Pictures W.A. Mozart – www.pianoparadise.com F.J. Haydn - www.malaspina.org L.V. Beethoven - www.cl.cam.ac.uk J. Brahms - facstaff.uww.edu F. Schubert – www.musicwithease.com P.I. Tchaikovsky - www.geocities.com/gtchao/PeterTchaikovsky.jpeg A. Copland - www.safka-bareis.com I. Stravinsky – www.malaspina.org A. Schönberg - www.milkenarchive.org